Would you recommend Rebel 1100 DCT as the first bike? And why?
I am getting about 43 mpg on the 1100 DCT. Does this sound about right?I think the 1100 DCT would be better as a SECOND bike. You kinda miss out learning on an automatic, the gas mileage isn't that great and the overall price of everything is higher. Not to mention, if you break something on it, it's so new that parts are hard to get a hold of (so I hear).
The power of the 1100 isn't overwhelming, but it's still more than I would have liked to start off with. There is rain mode, but I know I wouldn't have left it in rain mode when I started riding and you need to have a disciplined right wrist to ride the 1100 smoothly.
On one hand, the dct is great because it's one less thing to think about while riding. No worries about stalling or which gear to be in. Truth is though, I argue with my bike all the time as to which gear to be in, and find the thing upshifting all the time. Messing with the transmission controls can be distracting even to someone with experience riding, plus you hinder yourself if you ever ride a different bike without dct... which is almost every other bike out there.
Having a clutch gives you more control, and the ability to completely remove power to the rear wheel in case something goes wrong, especially in low speed maneuvers. Example: you are in the middle of a sharp u turn, lose your balance, slip your foot off to catch the bike while holding in the clutch, saving the bike while doing a rev bomb. Happened to me in the MSF course a while ago, even though I've been riding long before that. On a dct, especially on a powerful bike, the bike and myself would have had plenty of damage done. Couldn't imagine that happening in a gas station parking lot.
I think about this allot myself. I got my DCT because of physical problems, but i also thought it would be great to put my girlfriend on, so she would ride more. She has her own bike (fz6r), but she's still pretty inexperienced and the more I ride the 1100 the more I think it would be a bad idea to put her onto it.
Don't worry about outgrowing the bike, the 500 is plenty capable. I often find myself often wishing I had a cheap small displacement bike to thrash on, simply because it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than it is to ride a fast bike slow, while also saving gas money to do it.
All in all, I'd suggest getting the 500. Learn the clutch and save some money. I would even buy used if possible. If you decide you don't like something about the bike, you'd lose less money overall. Oh, and take the MSF course if you haven't already. You learn a lot!
Good luck!
Like you, I learned on a 1200cc H-D Sportster 48. I can totally relate to your story. Glad we are here to tell our stories. Nice share.Agreed with most people that say a first bike should be lower power.
One counter story I'll tell though, is that my first bike was a 1300cc cruiser, but I was in an unusual position: I was 39 when I started riding, and had nearly 25 years of experience driving a car first. The two main advantages this gave me were (1) a strong sense for other driver's behavior so I knew what they were likely to do even when not signaling, and (2) I'd largely worked out my need for speed on cars before riding motorcycles. That's not too say that I haven't gone unreasonably fast on bikes, but if I'd gotten a motorcycle at 18 and was riding it around town I'd have been a hooligan. Instead I learned to be an incredibly patient and chill driver, which led me to be a patient and chill rider: someone who truly enjoys the experience, can go fast wherever I want, but does so with a focus that's hard to get without years of being on the road. And don't get me wrong, I thought I was a disciplined driver when I was a kid: but looking back I wasn't. [emoji1787]
My first riding season, the focus required to pay attention to eventing made me feel a little bit like being a new car driver all over again. After that first season riding became nearly pure joy once I was totally comfortable. But I developed a very disciplined throttle hand until I have a couple thousand miles of twists under my belt, and took that 1300cc engine for what it was: a possible death sentence. So, I eased into it.
Now I wouldn't look back, but I'm glad I took my time. I love riding, but you have to stay alive and out of the hospital to really enjoy it.
Those were the days we thought would never end!Couldn't be any worse than me choosing a Kick Start only 1969 XLCH Sportster as my first Street Ride .. Had fooled around in the dirt a little on Bikes but this was my first true Purchase of my own Motorcycle .. Back then all you needed was a Drivers License and the money to buy one ..
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